Today’s media is all about the highly expected new product, a medical
Ferrari of sort, that the govt is adamant to sell to the whole
population by compulsion. Like any new launch, we are hearing only the
good news from the snippets being aired. The people have nothing to
worry about. It will be very affordable, premiums will be no more than
the current Medisave contributions. This looks like another ‘gum gum ho’
package vis a vis what you have in your Medisave Account. The caveat,
premiums could go up at an opportune time. Heheheh. Think the formula
for home/car buying, low upfront payment and pay and pay after that with
interest going up at an opportune time.
There might be some freebies thrown out to attract the buyers and make
the deals sweeter. There is a Pioneer Generation Package for those,
probably 70 and above, and paid by the govt for life. This is no
gimmicks, it will not be a one time payment or discount and then pay and
pay like utilities bills and conservancy charges. Be very grateful for
the kind mercy.
For those who are just below the 70 cut off point, be prepared to pay
what the pioneering generation need not pay, for the rest of your life
unless there is a new mercy, that premiums for the oldies will be frozen
at a fixed rate or the govt will cough up more funding to subsidise the
‘very affordable’ premiums when one is 80, 90 or 100.
Assoc Professor Phua Kai Hong of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public
Policy said, ‘Can we trust insurance to contain future healthcare cost
increases without stronger govt regulation on the supply side?’
There are a few things that the people must be worried about, the
profits of insurance companies, the unstoppable escalating medical cost
that would lead to higher premiums to ensure profitability to of the
insurers. The fact that insurers are still in the equation is something
that must be of great concern. There is no reason why the govt cannot
self insure this scheme if private insurers can do so. What is the catch
that the govt will not want to take on this role? A compulsory scheme
has removed all the other untidy and unnecessary issues of marketing and
taking care of a big sales force. It is purely an administrative job.
The merits of self insuring are obvious. Cut down the cost of middlemen,
cut down the profit motive, and any surpluses form the previous years
can be ploughed back to lower the premiums of the insured. No need super
talents to know such simple stuff.
The other big unknown is the runaway medical cost if not curbed by the
strong arms of the govt. The cost in govt hospitals must be regulated to
prevent any smart alec from raising fees to raise their bonuses or to
subsidise their pet projects. There are also issues of over consumption
like all schemes that are covered by insurance.
To take the logic of pioneering generation and the idea of ‘yin shui si
yuan’ or when we drink from the well, we will remember the source, the
oldies that needed medical care are not confined only to the pioneering
generation. Every generation will get old and older and the state must
play a big role in their welfare. It is better to set aside money to
look after the oldies that have done their parts in contributing to the
nation than to give the money away freely to foreigners and foreign
organizations to show off that we are rich and can afford to splash hard
cash everywhere.
The real stuff and maybe pain will come after the initial euphoria in a
new launch. What will be added on when everyone is sucked into and stuck
in an inescapable scheme? It is a flawless proposition, like the 6.9m population. Everyone shall welcome it with open arms and can sleep soundly after that. There is no downside but only goodness.
Kopi level - Green
2/04/2014
The anger against foreigners mounting.
You would not read these in the main media. Below are some comments in a
thread, ‘Singaporeans have every right to defend themselves’ in the
TRE. The number of foreigners here has gone past the threshold of
tolerance. And their behavior, discrimination and disgust against
Sinkies added to the anger of Sinkies that have fallen victims to them.
It is so ridiculous that a developed country, so called 1st World City
and citizens, well educated and rich, some even think Sinkies are smart,
would be despised and bullied by the very foreigners that they allowed
to work in their homeland. And nothing can be done while the daft
Sinkies are literally being edged out of their country, in jobs and in
homes and in public and private space. How can Sinkies be smart if they
can be so easily cheated by fakes from the 3rd World? Better still, no
one knows how to deal with this sickness.
The anger is building up everyday while on the surface you don’t really see it or read about it in the main media. You only read the good stuff of bringing in more foreigners in the main media. The Anton Casey case just blew the top and allowed the citizens to express their deep seated frustration that had been walled up for years. And would the govt still be asking why the Sinkies are so angry? Never mind, there is no need for the govt to know. The govt does not even have to do anything. The game will be over in 2 years time if the sentiment is real. You cannot keep pressing down the lid and think that it is not there. It will blow up at the right time if the pressure is not released, if the source of the anger is not removed.
So far there is no sign that this is happening despite the Sinkies kpkbing in social media. Many would like to pooh pooh it off as nothing but a few vocal minorities drumming for attention. How real is this will be shown in the next GE for sure. In the meantime, all is quiet in the western front. No one in the establishment would want to talk about it or face it squarely and do something substantive to defuse it.
In Thailand, the anti govt protesters are not respecting the vote of the majority. Would the govt respect the right of the majority here against the influx of foreigners into the country, to steal their jobs and to discriminate and despise the citizens? The daft Sinkies are rebelling to tell the govt that they don’t agree with its reasoning to bring in more and more foreigners. The govt is standing firm and not giving an inch in its design to flood the island with more foreigners.
So?
Here are a few of the snippets for a feel of the temperature.
Shut up:
February 3, 2014 at 7:45 am (Quote)
The anger against foreigners mounting.In the part when there are much fewer foreigners, you will never encounter a situation in which a foreigner would even dare to speak up against a singaporean.
Now when they have enough of their people around especially when they all choose to live in one area, it has embolden them.
You can go an blame these foreigners and you should but who created this in the first place? Who opened the flood gates and allow these foreigners in? Allow them in at such a great rate and embolden them?
I always say focus your energy at the primary source of the problem.
Its none other than PAP. We must rid PAP first and then these foreigners will get the message and we will see alot less of such incidents in the future. We must do this for our fellow singaporeans and future generations.
• Singaporeans must say NO:
February 2, 2014 at 2:31 pm (Quote)
Singaporeans can and must say NO. NO to PAP’s policies of discriminating against its own citizens. NO to foreigners bullying us, we must speak out for each other whenever and wherever a Singaporean is bullied. NO to more FTs coming in to dilute our Singaporean identity.
It is TIME FOR SINGAPOREANS TO SUPPORT SINGAPOREANS. Since the PAP government cannot and will not be a good government, we need to change the government.
• Pink Panty Loong - "The Great S'pore Curse - Wussy Doormat LEEderSHIT!":
February 2, 2014 at 3:09 pm (Quote)
These foreign trash twisted mindset and bad attitudes are totally encouraged and emboldened by our very own traitorous PAP government! The PAP government openly and blatantly pit the foreign trash against Singaporeans so that we will be coerced into accepting and integrating with them instead of the other way round! Where else can you find a government that embraced and empowered the foreigners to alienate their own citizens? Vote the PAP out to stop their treasonous acts and take back our Singapore! Singapore belongs to Singaporeans! Not the PAP nor their 3rd world foreign shits!
• bill man:
February 2, 2014 at 4:01 pm (Quote)
There are many cases of Singaporeans being discriminated/ bullied in their work environment that are not reported as well. I happened to know of a few. Please contribute if you know of others:
1. some European banks have deliberately redesigned job spec so that local managers will forsake being managers and continue to stay as RMs. This is exactly what the banks want…to bring in more expats to manage the locals. These new expats do not need local cultural knowledge, no contacts and all they need to do is push our locals for sales numbers. Mind you, they are well paid too.
2. some expats treasure their good life here so they will never want to make decision or take buss risk, just refer the locals to policy manuals is how they manage. This frustrates the locals and after a while,they become vocal about it. Head offices replace them and as recent as two months ago, i heard that one of them landed with job with other European bank. This is happening so often. These are the jobs that we locals can handle and yet our upward mobility is being blocked
3 certain banks with senior management from a certain country are slowly getting rid of locals so that their country men can take over. A case reported in the blob was brought to the authorities’ attn, ha, nothing was done. Just look at some of the dealing rooms.
4. some expats do not want to leave Singapore after they were terminated due to the 2008 fina crisis set up exe search firms. They hunt for and place other expats, their friends, with other banks, the HR depts there are also headed by expats. They colluded and excuses are given that they cannot find locals to fill the job.
5 Anton stays in Sentosa, majority of Singaporeans in HDB. Why? Locals are made to work to support these over paid and under work expats. from 5 pm onwards, you can see them are the pubs in MBFC and at nite at Clarke Quay with their local toys. At 10pm, you can see the poor locals getting out of MRT exhausted heading home in their HDB flat.
What is Singapore becoming? Why is the Govt willing to anger the locals and still protecting the FT population? We must make it a point to remember this FT policy makers’ names so that they go down in history of our country as those that made us and our future generations 2nd class citizens to the FTs. For those who just follow orders, consciously or unconsciously, to approve new citizenship or PR or Employment pass, hope that one day your conscience will hit you or your bad karma will. This can happen when your own children are being marginalized.
These are comments in another thread, Foreigners – treat them as ‘you want to be treated’
• blueview:
January 27, 2014 at 4:11 am (Quote)
Ng Eng Hen,
The next generation of Singaporeans are going to have “coolie” status based on what PAP has been preaching to Singaporeans. PAP are discouraging Singaporeans from pursuing education and encouraging us to take up mostly low level jobs. In a few years time, the FTs holding high level & high paying jobs will be lords, kings and queens. This is already happening and we have seen several incidents besides Anton’s.
I am in no way degrading the low level jobs. Since Singapore is such a small country, each & every type of job both low level and high level should be for true blue Singaporeans first. Foreigners should come last.
PAP obviously does not know what the word “BIRTHRIGHT” means. There will always be Singaporeans who want to be taxi drivers or cleaners or bus drivers or crane operators BUT why does PAP have to impose these jobs on us? Do we hear PAP encouraging us to take on wealth manager job at some swanky boutique wealth mgt company? Did PAP look for Singaporeans to be CEOs of DBS and Singapore Post? Are there NO & I mean not even a single qualified Singaporean to take on these positions?
• COE For Foreign Talents:
January 27, 2014 at 6:50 am (Quote)
There are too many foreigners here. Raffles Place and Marina Bay are full of them so much so that they now outnumber local Singaporeans working there. Yes obviously they took away the cushy highly paid office desk jobs in air-con comfort from Singaporean PMETs. Like all such congestion, we can control them well through financial levy. One of these is the Certificate Of Entitlement (COE). Should there be a COE system for employment passes/S-passes. It will be easier to implement since there are only two categories. And we can regulated the flow of FTs. These COE should be valid for 2 years, to generate turnover and will reap in no less than the current COE system for vehicles. So we will have money to build more hospitals, MRTs, buses, schools, foodcourts, shopping malls, roads, etc to cater to higher number. Who know perhaps we can provide social welfare after that as they told us they have no money for social welfare. Let do this. What do you think?
The anger is building up everyday while on the surface you don’t really see it or read about it in the main media. You only read the good stuff of bringing in more foreigners in the main media. The Anton Casey case just blew the top and allowed the citizens to express their deep seated frustration that had been walled up for years. And would the govt still be asking why the Sinkies are so angry? Never mind, there is no need for the govt to know. The govt does not even have to do anything. The game will be over in 2 years time if the sentiment is real. You cannot keep pressing down the lid and think that it is not there. It will blow up at the right time if the pressure is not released, if the source of the anger is not removed.
So far there is no sign that this is happening despite the Sinkies kpkbing in social media. Many would like to pooh pooh it off as nothing but a few vocal minorities drumming for attention. How real is this will be shown in the next GE for sure. In the meantime, all is quiet in the western front. No one in the establishment would want to talk about it or face it squarely and do something substantive to defuse it.
In Thailand, the anti govt protesters are not respecting the vote of the majority. Would the govt respect the right of the majority here against the influx of foreigners into the country, to steal their jobs and to discriminate and despise the citizens? The daft Sinkies are rebelling to tell the govt that they don’t agree with its reasoning to bring in more and more foreigners. The govt is standing firm and not giving an inch in its design to flood the island with more foreigners.
So?
Here are a few of the snippets for a feel of the temperature.
Shut up:
February 3, 2014 at 7:45 am (Quote)
The anger against foreigners mounting.In the part when there are much fewer foreigners, you will never encounter a situation in which a foreigner would even dare to speak up against a singaporean.
Now when they have enough of their people around especially when they all choose to live in one area, it has embolden them.
You can go an blame these foreigners and you should but who created this in the first place? Who opened the flood gates and allow these foreigners in? Allow them in at such a great rate and embolden them?
I always say focus your energy at the primary source of the problem.
Its none other than PAP. We must rid PAP first and then these foreigners will get the message and we will see alot less of such incidents in the future. We must do this for our fellow singaporeans and future generations.
• Singaporeans must say NO:
February 2, 2014 at 2:31 pm (Quote)
Singaporeans can and must say NO. NO to PAP’s policies of discriminating against its own citizens. NO to foreigners bullying us, we must speak out for each other whenever and wherever a Singaporean is bullied. NO to more FTs coming in to dilute our Singaporean identity.
It is TIME FOR SINGAPOREANS TO SUPPORT SINGAPOREANS. Since the PAP government cannot and will not be a good government, we need to change the government.
• Pink Panty Loong - "The Great S'pore Curse - Wussy Doormat LEEderSHIT!":
February 2, 2014 at 3:09 pm (Quote)
These foreign trash twisted mindset and bad attitudes are totally encouraged and emboldened by our very own traitorous PAP government! The PAP government openly and blatantly pit the foreign trash against Singaporeans so that we will be coerced into accepting and integrating with them instead of the other way round! Where else can you find a government that embraced and empowered the foreigners to alienate their own citizens? Vote the PAP out to stop their treasonous acts and take back our Singapore! Singapore belongs to Singaporeans! Not the PAP nor their 3rd world foreign shits!
• bill man:
February 2, 2014 at 4:01 pm (Quote)
There are many cases of Singaporeans being discriminated/ bullied in their work environment that are not reported as well. I happened to know of a few. Please contribute if you know of others:
1. some European banks have deliberately redesigned job spec so that local managers will forsake being managers and continue to stay as RMs. This is exactly what the banks want…to bring in more expats to manage the locals. These new expats do not need local cultural knowledge, no contacts and all they need to do is push our locals for sales numbers. Mind you, they are well paid too.
2. some expats treasure their good life here so they will never want to make decision or take buss risk, just refer the locals to policy manuals is how they manage. This frustrates the locals and after a while,they become vocal about it. Head offices replace them and as recent as two months ago, i heard that one of them landed with job with other European bank. This is happening so often. These are the jobs that we locals can handle and yet our upward mobility is being blocked
3 certain banks with senior management from a certain country are slowly getting rid of locals so that their country men can take over. A case reported in the blob was brought to the authorities’ attn, ha, nothing was done. Just look at some of the dealing rooms.
4. some expats do not want to leave Singapore after they were terminated due to the 2008 fina crisis set up exe search firms. They hunt for and place other expats, their friends, with other banks, the HR depts there are also headed by expats. They colluded and excuses are given that they cannot find locals to fill the job.
5 Anton stays in Sentosa, majority of Singaporeans in HDB. Why? Locals are made to work to support these over paid and under work expats. from 5 pm onwards, you can see them are the pubs in MBFC and at nite at Clarke Quay with their local toys. At 10pm, you can see the poor locals getting out of MRT exhausted heading home in their HDB flat.
What is Singapore becoming? Why is the Govt willing to anger the locals and still protecting the FT population? We must make it a point to remember this FT policy makers’ names so that they go down in history of our country as those that made us and our future generations 2nd class citizens to the FTs. For those who just follow orders, consciously or unconsciously, to approve new citizenship or PR or Employment pass, hope that one day your conscience will hit you or your bad karma will. This can happen when your own children are being marginalized.
These are comments in another thread, Foreigners – treat them as ‘you want to be treated’
• blueview:
January 27, 2014 at 4:11 am (Quote)
Ng Eng Hen,
The next generation of Singaporeans are going to have “coolie” status based on what PAP has been preaching to Singaporeans. PAP are discouraging Singaporeans from pursuing education and encouraging us to take up mostly low level jobs. In a few years time, the FTs holding high level & high paying jobs will be lords, kings and queens. This is already happening and we have seen several incidents besides Anton’s.
I am in no way degrading the low level jobs. Since Singapore is such a small country, each & every type of job both low level and high level should be for true blue Singaporeans first. Foreigners should come last.
PAP obviously does not know what the word “BIRTHRIGHT” means. There will always be Singaporeans who want to be taxi drivers or cleaners or bus drivers or crane operators BUT why does PAP have to impose these jobs on us? Do we hear PAP encouraging us to take on wealth manager job at some swanky boutique wealth mgt company? Did PAP look for Singaporeans to be CEOs of DBS and Singapore Post? Are there NO & I mean not even a single qualified Singaporean to take on these positions?
• COE For Foreign Talents:
January 27, 2014 at 6:50 am (Quote)
There are too many foreigners here. Raffles Place and Marina Bay are full of them so much so that they now outnumber local Singaporeans working there. Yes obviously they took away the cushy highly paid office desk jobs in air-con comfort from Singaporean PMETs. Like all such congestion, we can control them well through financial levy. One of these is the Certificate Of Entitlement (COE). Should there be a COE system for employment passes/S-passes. It will be easier to implement since there are only two categories. And we can regulated the flow of FTs. These COE should be valid for 2 years, to generate turnover and will reap in no less than the current COE system for vehicles. So we will have money to build more hospitals, MRTs, buses, schools, foodcourts, shopping malls, roads, etc to cater to higher number. Who know perhaps we can provide social welfare after that as they told us they have no money for social welfare. Let do this. What do you think?
MOE thinking frugal
Front page news in the ST, ‘Funding cuts of top independent schools in
Spore’. The MOE is cutting funds to the top 6 independent schools and on
top of that it is telling them to moderate fund raising activities for
campus upgrading. The schools have been told to switch classroom
ventilation from air conditioners to fans.
This is definitely a costing cutting measure. The question is why? Not enough funds or curbing on excessive expenditure on perks and luxuries? Many parents see this as a good move, to stop schools from going wild with money and what money can buy for comfort and the non essentials.
While the MOE is cutting such funding, presumably to curb waste, hopefully the savings would not be diverted to provide more scholarships and assistance to foreign students here. And hopefully there will also be substantive cuts on funding for foreign students and divert the money saved to assist the children of citizens. I said children of citizens, not children of locals. Must make this doubly clear.
So, what’s up MOE?
PS. I must acknowledge that we have the finest and most modern infrastructure for our schools. Not very sure about the software, which so far has proven to be quite shitty as we are producing duds that cannot compete with 3rd World talents who comfortably came here to replace our local talents from our education system in top jobs. What kind of shit is happening? Don’t ask me for answers.
Kopi level - Yellow
This is definitely a costing cutting measure. The question is why? Not enough funds or curbing on excessive expenditure on perks and luxuries? Many parents see this as a good move, to stop schools from going wild with money and what money can buy for comfort and the non essentials.
While the MOE is cutting such funding, presumably to curb waste, hopefully the savings would not be diverted to provide more scholarships and assistance to foreign students here. And hopefully there will also be substantive cuts on funding for foreign students and divert the money saved to assist the children of citizens. I said children of citizens, not children of locals. Must make this doubly clear.
So, what’s up MOE?
PS. I must acknowledge that we have the finest and most modern infrastructure for our schools. Not very sure about the software, which so far has proven to be quite shitty as we are producing duds that cannot compete with 3rd World talents who comfortably came here to replace our local talents from our education system in top jobs. What kind of shit is happening? Don’t ask me for answers.
Kopi level - Yellow
Is CPF taking advantage of senior citizens?
I am a senior citizen. By right I should be getting all my CPF savings
when I reached 55. But they changed the rules and created a Retirement
Account and forcibly transferred some of my savings into this Account. I
am angry but kept quiet since there is nothing I can do. They wrote the
laws and approved whatever laws they decided. Dunno which turkey
decided on this. So far no one dares to admit it. Was it discussed and
approve in Parliament?
Now they created another account called Medisave Minimum Sum Account. And they forcibly transferred some of my savings into this account. Very unhappy but cannot do anything. The people elected them so they think they can do anything they want.
Now I am getting angrier. If my savings are kept in the Retirement Account, I shall be getting 4% interest rate. I just found out that my savings in the Medisave Minimum Sum only get 2.5% interest. Correct me if I am wrong, but this is in my CPF statement.
Why am I being paid of 1.5% of interest lesser? The CPF suka suka changed the rules and suka suka fixed the interest rates. What, senior citizens all ‘boh tak cheh’ and you can do anything you want ya?
Tell me if this is fair? Letting you keep my savings for as long as you want is already damn ‘pek chek’. Now you created new accounts and pay me lesser interest. You want to bully senior citizens is it?
All my plans to be emperor in Batam or Lijiang got screwed because you refused to return my savings as contracted when I became a member more than 40 years ago. Do I have the right be angry?
Kopi level - Yellow
PS:
Now they created another account called Medisave Minimum Sum Account. And they forcibly transferred some of my savings into this account. Very unhappy but cannot do anything. The people elected them so they think they can do anything they want.
Now I am getting angrier. If my savings are kept in the Retirement Account, I shall be getting 4% interest rate. I just found out that my savings in the Medisave Minimum Sum only get 2.5% interest. Correct me if I am wrong, but this is in my CPF statement.
Why am I being paid of 1.5% of interest lesser? The CPF suka suka changed the rules and suka suka fixed the interest rates. What, senior citizens all ‘boh tak cheh’ and you can do anything you want ya?
Tell me if this is fair? Letting you keep my savings for as long as you want is already damn ‘pek chek’. Now you created new accounts and pay me lesser interest. You want to bully senior citizens is it?
All my plans to be emperor in Batam or Lijiang got screwed because you refused to return my savings as contracted when I became a member more than 40 years ago. Do I have the right be angry?
Kopi level - Yellow
PS:
2/03/2014
Baey Yam Keng - a startling revelation
Was it a Freudian slip or was it a well crafted revelation to serve a
specific agenda, this was what Baey said at the Young Guns forum on 29
Jan 14. ‘I am 100 per cent sure that not everyone is a PAP member. I’m
very sure there are people who voted for opposition. And you have to
take my word for that because I know more than you on CCC.
What a revelation! What was the intent and purpose for saying this? Was Baey trying to say he is very well informed, or was he bragging that he knows a lot of things? Or was it just a slip of the moment that he got carried away and said something he shouldn’t be saying?
Did Baey revealed anything? How was he to know that CCC members voted for the opposition? The vote is a secret right? I think I know the answer. The CCC members who voted for the opposition told him personally. Or maybe the CCC members told other CCC members and they told Baey. It must be like that. There is no other official means to know who voted for the opposition, unless there are things that I dunno as a layman. Layman does not know many things, they are simple minded people and will take everything at face value. Tiok boh?
What a revelation! What was the intent and purpose for saying this? Was Baey trying to say he is very well informed, or was he bragging that he knows a lot of things? Or was it just a slip of the moment that he got carried away and said something he shouldn’t be saying?
Did Baey revealed anything? How was he to know that CCC members voted for the opposition? The vote is a secret right? I think I know the answer. The CCC members who voted for the opposition told him personally. Or maybe the CCC members told other CCC members and they told Baey. It must be like that. There is no other official means to know who voted for the opposition, unless there are things that I dunno as a layman. Layman does not know many things, they are simple minded people and will take everything at face value. Tiok boh?
Japan is up to mischief again
After being defeated in WW2 and suffering from two Atomic bombs for its
aggressive invasion of its neighbours and trying to conquer and rule
South East Asia, Japan has not learnt its lessons on wars. It is
stirring up tension and trying to create misgivings among the countries
in the region with misinformation. In its latest attempt it falsely
reported that China was trying to introduce another ADIZ in the South
China Sea. By saying so, it is sowing discord between China and the
South East Asian neighbours.
What the Japanese are doing today is more dangerous than in the Second World War. Then it was more or less fighting the war alone after dividing the world and areas of control with the Nazis in Germany. It was ambitious enough to want to rule the whole of East Asia and South East Asia. Today it is joining forces with the Americans in its renewed attempt to be the top regional power of the region. And in this announcement the Americans are happily joining in to warn China of declaring an ADIZ in the region. The arrogant Americans take pleasure to warn every country they so choose as their right as the evil Empire. The Americans knew that it was a lie fabricated by the Japanese but jumped on it as an excuse to threaten China. An upmanship to tell the world it can still do so to any country and with the implied threat of a military attack.
China is not going to accept being bullied by the Americans any more. It could use the opportunity to defy the Americans and impose an ADIZ and see what the Americans are going to do about it. However, China has a bigger interest in forging a closer relation with the South East Asian countries and would not want to make such a move to give the Japanese and the Americans an advantage in crying wolf.
The East China Sea ADIZ is a necessary move as Japan and the Americans posed an immediate danger to China’s security and a threat of an air strike. Japan also has an ADIZ stretching to the Chinese coast. It was thus a tit for tat move directed against the Japanese. The South East Asian countries do not pose any threat to China except a few irritations from the Philippines and Vietnam. Both can easily be dealt with by a cane. And both would behave without the American gangsters provoking them from behind.
Japan is raring its hostile intent all over again and is reckless, without a care on the consequences of inciting a war with China. They have no regards to how destructive a war today would be, with Japan’s major cities flatten and gone up in smokes should it escalate into a nuclear war. This is how preposterous and crazy the Japanese are in the pursuit of their wild imperialist ambition, to be the Number One military power in the region.
Japan is willing to risk the total annihilation of its country and people. The right wing militant group is simply mad to think that war with China is an option, a tea party.
China rightfully replied sternly that it would “‘respond effectively to any provocation’ that risked disrupting order in East Asia.” China must make it very clear that it would go to war with Japan and the Americans if provoked in order to keep them away from adventurism. The two gangsters are very trigger happy and the use of military force to advance their national goals is in their blood.
The countries of the world, particularly in South East Asia, should not be a party to this madness. They only have to lose, to be dragged into a very destructive war, and nothing to gain from an open military conflict.
The wild military ambition of the mad Japanese must be stopped in its path now. America must be told off to stop agitating and inciting war in the region.
What the Japanese are doing today is more dangerous than in the Second World War. Then it was more or less fighting the war alone after dividing the world and areas of control with the Nazis in Germany. It was ambitious enough to want to rule the whole of East Asia and South East Asia. Today it is joining forces with the Americans in its renewed attempt to be the top regional power of the region. And in this announcement the Americans are happily joining in to warn China of declaring an ADIZ in the region. The arrogant Americans take pleasure to warn every country they so choose as their right as the evil Empire. The Americans knew that it was a lie fabricated by the Japanese but jumped on it as an excuse to threaten China. An upmanship to tell the world it can still do so to any country and with the implied threat of a military attack.
China is not going to accept being bullied by the Americans any more. It could use the opportunity to defy the Americans and impose an ADIZ and see what the Americans are going to do about it. However, China has a bigger interest in forging a closer relation with the South East Asian countries and would not want to make such a move to give the Japanese and the Americans an advantage in crying wolf.
The East China Sea ADIZ is a necessary move as Japan and the Americans posed an immediate danger to China’s security and a threat of an air strike. Japan also has an ADIZ stretching to the Chinese coast. It was thus a tit for tat move directed against the Japanese. The South East Asian countries do not pose any threat to China except a few irritations from the Philippines and Vietnam. Both can easily be dealt with by a cane. And both would behave without the American gangsters provoking them from behind.
Japan is raring its hostile intent all over again and is reckless, without a care on the consequences of inciting a war with China. They have no regards to how destructive a war today would be, with Japan’s major cities flatten and gone up in smokes should it escalate into a nuclear war. This is how preposterous and crazy the Japanese are in the pursuit of their wild imperialist ambition, to be the Number One military power in the region.
Japan is willing to risk the total annihilation of its country and people. The right wing militant group is simply mad to think that war with China is an option, a tea party.
China rightfully replied sternly that it would “‘respond effectively to any provocation’ that risked disrupting order in East Asia.” China must make it very clear that it would go to war with Japan and the Americans if provoked in order to keep them away from adventurism. The two gangsters are very trigger happy and the use of military force to advance their national goals is in their blood.
The countries of the world, particularly in South East Asia, should not be a party to this madness. They only have to lose, to be dragged into a very destructive war, and nothing to gain from an open military conflict.
The wild military ambition of the mad Japanese must be stopped in its path now. America must be told off to stop agitating and inciting war in the region.
Low cost engineering the way to go
We need more top academics to endorse the virtues of low cost engineering to restructure our universities and economic strategies for growth. Recently there was a professor from NTU making very positive views on the superiority of India in low cost engineering. And reading between the lines, NTU may be considering introducing low cost engineering courses to produce engineers that are experts in this area.
With Singapore unable or finding it challenging to compete in anything of substance and quality, low cost engineering may be the way to go. We could tap into India’s low cost labour and production methods in low cost engineering to produce goods that can be marketed with a price advantage. The Tata Nano is an excellent car for our market given the smallness in size. There is really no need for super cars with super price tags as they would run out of roads by the time they squeezed into third gear. A cheap Nano is exactly what we need for a small city and buzzing from the HDB flats to the market or neighbourhood shops.
A Nano cost only US$8K. With the high COE prices, a Nano could still be priced below $90K. Quality should not be an issue. The reports by BBC that ‘Five of India's most popular small cars have failed crash tests conducted by a UK-based car safety watchdog’ should be no cost for alarm. The cars tested included models made in India by Ford, Volkswagen and Hyundai. For the price you can’t be expecting German quality right?
The cars could only be made cheaply by some cost cutting like stripping some safety features. There is a price for everything, A good quality car cannot be cheap. One cannot be dreaming of all the safety features and quality parts when one is buying low cost cars manufactured using low cost engineering and labour. There is a market for such low cost products. Not everyone can afford a few hundred thousands for an European or Japanese or even Korean made cars.
It is all about practicality and being realistic in the consumers’ expectation. Low cost engineering, low cost labour and low cost products can find its low niche even in an expensive first world city. We only need to have quality products and services in politics and govts. The rest of the industries can offer a range, from the best to the lowest cost products.
The only consideration is whether Singaporeans could cope with the income if they are trained in low cost engineering, producing low cost products and drawing low cost salary. For the super talents, there are many, some are thumping their chests to open up the economy to foreigners as they feel confident enough to take on the best in the world, they can continue to compete in the higher end jobs. Many would not even mind competing with fakes as they know that they are really good and fakes or foreign talents are no match for them. They will survive under all circumstances even outperforming cheats and fakes.
For the normal average Sinkies, they should lower their expectations and embrace low cost engineering as a new opportunity. With CECA they can become expats in India and compete with the brilliant Indian low cost engineers for jobs there. India is a continent and there should be no problem finding a job there.
We have been encouraging our people to downgrade, from housing, jobs and homes. So it is normal to downgrade our pursuit of knowledge from high tech to low cost engineering, from producing high quality goods and services to low quality engineering stuff. Never mind if we move from 1st World to 3rd World. We are nearly there. A low cost manufacturing hub.
Kopi level - Yellow
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When I saw the two amounts of interests side by side, the numbers obviously did not tally.
After going through the whole year's statement, I found another payment in July. The interest paid for Medisave is 4% while Retirement is 4 + 1%.
Why would they be computing interest payments differently, I dunno. My concern has been cleared and the payment is correct.